Some City-County Council Republicans are distancing themselves from their presumptive mayoral candidate, revealing fractures in a party that could be making a last-ditch effort to remain relevant in Indianapolis.

Republican state Sen. Jim Merritt has spent the early months of his mayoral campaign hammering Democratic Mayor Joe Hogsett over the city's poor street conditions, which are apparent every spring when asphalt crumbles into tens of thousands of potholes.

But some council Republicans are taking exception to Merritt's line of attack, arguing that they are working with Hogsett to solve the problem within the constraints of the budget. The emphasis on potholes, they say, is part of a longstanding disconnect between Merritt and the Republicans who are engaged in city government.

"If I see Jim Merritt, he's probably going to get an earful," said John Wesseler, a Republican who represents a south-side council district stretching along Emerson Avenue down to the Johnson County line. "There's no way in the world if I was running for mayor I would have run a campaign on fixing potholes. This is Indiana. Every jurisdiction, every road, every highway is a mess because of freezing and thawing and it's been that way. It doesn't matter who the mayor is."

The public airing of disapproval with Merritt's campaign among council Republicans — combined, in some cases, with support for Hogsett and his administration — is a remarkable show of defiance against the party's de facto leader during an election year.

Indianapolis will hold elections for mayor and all 25 council seats in November. Merritt already has received the Marion County Republican Party endorsement and is expected to officially become the party's nominee in the May 7 primary.

It's a pivotal time for Republicans, who are a 14-11 minority on the council. Indianapolis' shifting demographics are making the city increasingly favorable to Democrats. If Republicans fail to win a majority on the council this year, they will be subject to Democrats' redistricting whims, which could further stack the deck against them in future elections.

Merritt in an interview dismissed concerns that he is not leading the county party in a productive direction ahead of November. Merritt, an eight-term state senator, is the Republican caucus leader, a role that suggests he had broad support within the state party.

"I've been a leader in the Republican Party for a long time," Merritt said. "I've had my share of criticism from all corners. I don't mind that. I like the idea that people feel like they can speak out without any fear and offer their opinions. When I'm mayor in Indianapolis next year, I expect fresh thoughts."

'Tacky and distasteful'

The long-simmering friction between Merritt and City-County Council Republicans became public April 18 after Merritt's campaign sent an email seeking to raise money off the job performance of Dan Parker, Hogsett's top official in charge of street maintenance, whom Merritt has labeled a hack.

"Your dollars will go a long way towards making it possible for Jim Merritt to place a qualified leader in the Department of Public Works," the email said.

Hours later, three council Republicans — Danielle Coulter, Janice McHenry and Susie Cordi — posed for a photo with Parker in an apparent rebuke to Merritt. Coulter tweeted out the photo, saying, "I appreciate (Parker's) dedication, hard work & responsiveness as we work together to address the needs of Indianapolis."

Coulter, who did not agree to an interview, later tweeted that she supports Merritt. McHenry did not respond to a request for comment.

Cordi said the photo was a response to Merritt's fundraising email.

"That was just so tacky and so distasteful," Cordi said of Merritt's attack on Parker.

The photo exposed dissatisfaction that some council Republicans have had with Merritt since March 2017 when he became chairman of the Marion County Republican Party. Merritt for more than two years has used press conferences and statements to score political points against Hogsett, often attacking policies that council Republicans have helped craft.

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Sen. Jim Merritt, former chair of the Marion County GOP, announces his candidacy for Mayor of Indianapolis during a press conference held at 3902 N. Illinois Street, in Indianapolis on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019. (Photo: Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar)

"Jim was not a very good chairman," said Cordi, who represents a district on the south-east side. "He didn't ever talk to the councilors. He came to one caucus (meeting) and that was it. He was never engaged with us."

Beyond appearing in a photo with Hogsett's public works director, Cordi donated $25 to Hogsett's campaign and appeared at a press conference with the mayor Tuesday. She is freer than others to express her views, because she is among six council Republicans who are not running for re-election. That includes Wesseler and Coulter, who was passed over for the party's endorsement in February.

Michael McQuillen, the council's Republican minority leader, who is running for re-election, declined to be interviewed for this story.

Merritt said he has no regrets over the campaign email that evoked criticism from some within his party. He said the email was humorous and his campaign will continue to produce similar materials.

"We raised probably $450 in five minutes and thousands of dollars after that," Merritt said. "I think the performance of Mr. Parker is abysmal and that is my opinion. Obviously, people can differ with that opinion. But I'm just trying to have a little fun with it."

Parker responded to an IndyStar request for comment in an email.

"My department is charged with addressing decades of deferred maintenance on city streets, bridges, sidewalks and stormwater infrastructure, and residents want me thinking about the $126 million worth of road construction projects and $36 million in stormwater projects that will occur this year alone, not partisan political attacks," Parker said.

'There was a disconnect'

Jeff Coats, another council Republican who is not running for re-election, said Merritt's criticism of Parker reflects an area in which he is out of touch with council Republicans.

Coats noted Republicans last year joined Democrats in unanimously voting for Hogsett's $1.2 billion budget, which included a bipartisan plan for improving the city's infrastructure. But Merritt has continued to criticize the spending plan.

"Twenty-five people voted unanimously, including all the Republicans, for this budget, which included a lot of transportation and public works money, but (criticism) comes out of county party and they never reached out to me," Coats said. "I don't know if they reached out to any other member of the caucus to get the lowdown on the budget, to get details on what we were voting on.

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Merritt said there should be separation between the party chairman and elected officials, but his relationship with the council would change if he is elected mayor.

"Being mayor of Indianapolis, I will be working with them and asking for their opinions," Merritt said. "When it comes to what we run on this fall, and what we win on ... we will have a mandate and we will have innovative ideas."

So far, Merritt has yet to introduce those ideas. He said he plans to roll out policies over the summer.

Jose Evans, a former City-County Council member who briefly ran for mayor as a Republican this year before dropping out and endorsing Merritt, said it's common to have dissenting opinions and adversarial priorities on a 25-person legislative body.

"There might be a couple cliques here and there, but at the end of the day, each councilor has their own agenda, has their own constituents that they believe they need to address," Evans said. "Sometimes that may go with the party and sometimes that may go against the party."

'There will be more unison'

Evans, who joined the council as a Democrat before switching parties, added that council Republicans working to address infrastructure problems in their district have incentive to align with the Hogsett administration. Evans said he operated similarly when he was on the council.

"There were some sidewalk and street improvements that happened. Mayor (Greg) Ballard was a Republican and I was a Democrat and I was taking pictures with the mayor at the time," Evans said. "But I can tell you this: After May, after the primary, there will be more unison."

Merritt resigned as party chairman in December and announced his campaign for mayor in January after more than a year of consideration. Since then, Merritt has been tied up with the state General Assembly session, which ended Wednesday.

Evans expects the Merritt campaign to hit a new gear next month.

"It's been a little quiet, but I think after the session, after the primary and definitely during the summer, you're going to see a lot of changes, a lot of excitement and a lot of push coming from the Republican Party," Evans said.

Merritt noted that every Republican who is publicly criticizing him will be off the council next year.

"I think the coming election will be a real good opportunity to have fresh blood and fresh ideas in the party," Merritt said.

Several Republicans, though, said the turnover is occurring at least in part because back-room politics are souring civic-minded candidates on running for office. The party is losing attractive candidates at a time when it needs them the most.

"I think the Republican party is struggling for relevancy in Marion County," Coats said, comparing it to the state Democratic Party. "Every year, the numbers get a little bit worse."

That summation of Indianapolis politics is a stark contrast to early 2018 when council Democrats were in disarray after four of them joined Republicans in a short-lived move to elect Stephen Clay council president. Now, it's Republicans trying to forge a way forward amid infighting.

The party's prospects in mayoral and council races probably aren't intertwined, Coats said, though it wouldn't hurt for Merritt to run a strong campaign. Despite the criticism Merritt is facing from within his party, Coats said he thinks the council's Republican caucus generally supports Merritt's run for mayor.

"Jim is a known commodity," Coats said. "He's been involved in government and local politics for 20 or 30 years. I think he has the ability to put forth a good campaign and a challenge to Hogsett.

"Whether that will happen or not, I don't know."

Call IndyStar reporter James Briggs at 317-444-6307. Follow him on Twitter: @JamesEBriggs.